MINI Cooper
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,548a year, fuel only
The 2013 MINI Cooper is EPA-rated at 31 MPG combined (28 city / 35.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 484 gallons, $1548 a year in fuel, or $0.103 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2002–2013 run it averages 28.9 MPG, improving by 6 MPG over 12 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 31 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the minicompact cars average, 22.3.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,548 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.103
- Per kilometre
- $0.064
- Gallons burned/yr
- 484
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.081 | $806 | $1210 | $1613 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.097 | $968 | $1452 | $1935 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.103 | $1032 | $1548 | $2065 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.113 | $1129 | $1694 | $2258 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.129 | $1290 | $1935 | $2581 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.145 | $1452 | $2177 | $2903 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.161 | $1613 | $2419 | $3226 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
12 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 31 MPG | 28 | 35.5 | $2475 | 285 | 2 |
| 2012 | 31 MPG | 28 | 35.5 | $2475 | 287 | 2 |
| 2011 | 31.5 MPG | 28.5 | 35.5 | $2450 | 282 | 2 |
| 2010 | 30 MPG | 26.5 | 35 | $2575 | 298 | 2 |
| 2009 | 30.5 MPG | 26.5 | 35.5 | $2525 | 292 | 2 |
| 2008 | 30.5 MPG | 27 | 35.5 | $2525 | 292 | 2 |
| 2007 | 30 MPG | 26.5 | 34.5 | $2575 | 297 | 2 |
| 2006 | 27 MPG | 23.5 | 32 | $2850 | 330 | 2 |
| 2005 | 27 MPG | 23.5 | 32 | $2850 | 330 | 2 |
| 2004 | 26.5 MPG | 23.5 | 31 | $2925 | 336 | 2 |
| 2003 | 26.5 MPG | 23.5 | 31 | $2925 | 336 | 2 |
| 2002 | 25 MPG | 22 | 29 | $3100 | 355 | 1 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the minicompact cars bay
Among the 68 minicompact cars models tracked here, the MINI Cooper ranks 3 on current figures, against a class average of 22.3 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Scion iQ (37), Fiat 500e (116).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 285 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 4.3 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the MINI Cooper get?
The 2013 MINI Cooper is rated at 31 MPG combined by the EPA — 28 city and 35.5 highway. Across all 12 model years in the database it averages 28.9 MPG, ranging from 25 to 32 depending on year and trim.
How much does a MINI Cooper cost in fuel per year?
At 31 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 484 gallons — roughly $1548 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.103 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2013 model is $2475.
Has the MINI Cooper become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 25 MPG in 2002 to 31 in 2013 — an improvement of 6 MPG, or 24% across 12 model years.
Is the MINI Cooper efficient for its class?
It ranks 3 of 68 in the Minicompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 22.3 MPG. That is 8.7 better than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
